Today (Thursday) was perfect for yard work. The temperature in the morning was in the mid 70s, and it was overcast. So the sun was prevented from beating down on me as I worked.

I went immediately to work on the front flower bed. Since I hadn’t worked on it since last year, it was a mess. The joy, was ripping out weeds that I had been fighting for while. The work: there were a lot of weeds. But that was done, after about four hours of work. Why so long? Most of the soil was in its “mud form.” It kept caking up my tools and my boots, and I had to stop and break it free for my tools to function properly.

ADDED Bonus: as I was working on the flower bed, I found a Southern Oak sapling behind the biggest bush. I pulled it up, and decided to plant it in the lower 40 just to see if I could get it to grow. I haven’t had much luck transporting trees from one part of the yard to the other. I think this is because the two times I’ve tried, I didn’t take the soil with it. Hopefully, with enough TLC, this one will take root. See the picture below.

Relief came when Heidi called me to lunch. We had a Sloppy Joe salad. Yes, delicious. It hit the spot.

Who would have ever dreamed Sloppy Joes could have been added to a salad? Heidi. And she did it.

The movie of the night: Shawshank Redemption.

The quote of the day: J.C. Ryle.

“I hold salvation by grace as strongly as any one. I would gladly offer a free and full pardon to the greatest sinner that ever lived. I would not hesitate to stand by his dying bed, and say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ even now, and you shall be saved.” But that a man can have salvation without asking for it, I cannot see in the Bible. That a man will receive pardon of his sins, who will not so much as lift up his heart inwardly, and say, “Lord Jesus, give it to me,” this I cannot find. I can find that nobody will be saved by his prayers, but I cannot find that without prayer anybody will be saved.”

That is part of my sermon preparation on prayer. See Matthew 6.

All photos are copyright © Timothy J. Hammons, 2025.